Given a second chance, Bombers rookie makes strong first impression

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/06/2017 (3078 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Brandon Alexander knows just how powerful a first impression can be. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers rookie defensive back wasted little time trying to impress his new team, with head coach Mike O’Shea noticing early into April’s mini-camp he had a special player on the field.

“He was the guy that if you turned around and talked in line, he was ahead of you in a heartbeat, taking the next rep,” O’Shea said after Wednesday’s practice at Investors Group Field. “That strategy has paid off for him. What I know of him, I don’t think that’s going to change. That’s his foundation.”

The Bombers open their regular season in Regina Saturday against the Saskatchewan Roughriders, and Alexander, a 6-2, 195-pound native of Orlando, Fla., is expected to start at field corner when the defence hits the turf at the new Mosaic Stadium. He’s practised with the first-team for weeks, ever since the departure of Terence Frederick, who was released following an underwhelming performance against the Riders in the pre-season.

“I came in here to take somebody’s spot. That’s what your mindset has to be; something has to be different about you every single play, every single down, every single day,” Alexander said. “These are your guys, these are your closest friends out here, but not everything is safe.”

It’s been an impressive — and relatively seamless — transition for Alexander, especially when you consider the 23 year old has been out of the game for two years. The last time he rubbed shoulders with teammates was in 2015 when he was invited to an NFL camp with the Atlanta Falcons but struggled — and eventually released — thanks to a nagging hamstring injury he suffered weeks before at his school’s pro day.

But just because it’s looked easy for Alexander, going from someone nobody knows to earning a starting role with the Bombers, it has taken both patience and hard work. Although he never stopped staying in shape, those two years away from the game were tough on him every day.

After the second season went by without any teams calling, he began to move on in life. He moved out of his parent’s home and got a job as a high school teacher. At one point, he could feel the dream of playing the game he had given so much to slipping away.

“I really felt like football was dwindling away,” Alexander said. “I was slowly moving up in the world, and when this opportunity came I didn’t know if it was going to be a step backwards for me or a step forward. All I knew was I loved to play football.”

When the Bombers called to offer him a tryout, Alexander said it was both an easy and emotional decision.

“I called my mom and I told her I was going to get an opportunity to try out for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and she got excited and she started crying,” he said. “And when she started crying, I started crying. It felt so good because everything is not promised. I could have came here and got cut the first day, but the fact that somebody out there — anywhere — saw me or heard about me and wanted to reach out and give me that type of opportunity, that gave me so much.”

Since then, Alexander hasn’t taken anything for granted. And he’s no stranger when it comes to proving he belongs.

The situation he faces with the Bombers — first on making the team, and now sticking with the club — is similar to what he endured in college. When he graduated from high school, Alexander was 5-11 and weighed just 145 pounds — not exactly the ideal size for a football player. But his passion overshadowed his physical stature, and with that determination he received a roster spot at the University of Central Florida as a walk-on, earning a full scholarship in 2012.

In 49 games with the Knights, Alexander recorded 139 solo tackles — 7 1/2 of which came for a loss — seven interceptions and four fumble recoveries. He was a member of the American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team in 2013 and was twice nominated for the Burlsworth Trophy, awarded annually to a college football player who started his career as a walk-on.

With a strong first impression now behind him, Alexander has set a new goal: to stick around as long as possible. He’s appreciated everything he’s been given but remains hungry for more. And he knows if he’s going to earn more, he’s got to give more.

“Whether that’s locking the field down or running to the ball or just hard work,” he said. “I hope I leave my mark in every single thing I do, every day.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

twitter: @jeffkhamilton